American Airlines To Allow Passengers With Nut Allergies To Board Flights First

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Sharelle Burt

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Having allergies is a serious problem. Especially if you have a peanut allergy because let’s face it, it seems like everything is made with nuts in it.

So when it was leaked back in September that American Airlines was going to let passengers with nut allergies on board first to wipe down surfaces, people were slightly confused. So AA quickly responded to the report by The Points Guy, saying that “process is still ongoing.”

Since then, passengers have been updated and informed that this new policy will go into effect on December 12. The new crew flight manual will say “customers with nut allergies who would like to board flights early to wipe down surfaces may ask to do so at the gate.” But is that safe for allergy suffers? And will it cause chaos while boarding the aircraft?

People with food allergies have to clean the tray tables a particular way in order to not be affected. Surfaces are to be wiped down using a single use towel and warm soapy water. To rinse, fill a spray bottle up with fresh water and wipe it down. Lastly, using a sanitizing wipe, polish the surface and let them dry.

American is joining the ranks of other airlines that have already implemented this rule. United, Southwest and Singapore don’t want allergy-related incidents to happen on their aircraft like when an American Airlines passenger collapsed back in May due to an allergic reaction. There was also a complaint from the Department of Transporation in 2017 when a mother claimed she couldn’t preboard the plane to clean up her assigned area since her child had a nut allergy.

Now to clarify, American Airlines doesn’t serve peanuts during flights but they do serve other items that have nuts in premium cabins, like first class. Also, the airline “can’t guarantee our customers won’t be exposed to peanuts during their trip.”

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Sharelle Burt

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